2014 Fiat 500 – An Implementation of Retro-Recyling

If you think about it, none of the latest technology we see today is truly revolutionary. For example, the touchscreen has been around for ages. Heck, the modern fashion trend has even reverted back to the hipsterfied 60’s. With that being said, it’s no surprise that car design follows the same concept, and the Fiat 500 shows exactly that.

Dating as far back as 1957, the same Fiat 500 designed in Italy quickly established its reputation with its cute looks and affordability. Since the merge between Fiat and Chrysler, The Fiat 500 has now made its way into the North American market while bringing along its European retro design and the positive perception of the miniature car.

In terms of options, there really is only one other of its kind, and that is the Mini Cooper, or the Volkswagen Beetle (maybe). But the luxury trend is not where the Fiat 500 stands, as its primary mission is to get its keys into the hands of those that endear retro looks and value affordability and practicality.

But wait, did I just say “practical”? At a wheel base of 2300 mm, it’s about 15% shorter than the conventional mid-size sedan. Surprisingly, space in the front row provides a healthy amount of arm and leg room. But I do have to admit, the rear seats fall a bit short in terms of good use. But even so, its well thought out chassis height facilitates enough head room for passengers six feet tall!

Design Statement

It’s not hard to spot out the Fiat 500 Italian grass roots. From the inside, the color codes employ coffee brown leather seats accompanied by creamy white dashboard panels contrasted by laminate black and licorice red emblems on the gauge cluster and Fiat badge. I like it! The modern color palette helps bring out the contemporary and comforting looks and feel of the cabin space compared to the conventional homogeneous black interior on most domestic cars.

Interior quality factor is a push and pull between two extremes. Tap your fingers around easily reveals cheap hallow plastic panels layered throughout. And in respect of the price tag, interior amenities are minimal with simple dials and buttons for climate and radio control with the absence of power seats. As far as pet peeves are concerned, the reclining seat lever takes a little cleverness to find, and center console buttons have an awkwardly deep throw.

But on the plus side, the leather seats are surprisingly comfortable with well graded leather material.  Look a little harder and you will begin to appreciate small design details such as chrome plated shift knob, chromed bumper, and elegant Fiat emblems decorated around the vehicle.

Mechanical Details

Powering this little Fiat 500 is Chrysler’s 1.4 liter Multi-Air four cylinder engine coupled to either a choice of a 5-speed manual, or a 6-speed automatic transmission. Power output is measured in at 101 horse power and 98 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm. These numbers fall in the lower end of the spectrum, considering the similar class Fiesta outputs 120 horsepower. Despite the low intriguing numbers, horse power output is not the only variable that matters when it comes to the Fiat 500. Because the Fiat 500 curb weight hovers in at around 2,000 lbs, engine power output feels adequate for its purpose.

On that same note, blessed by its feather-weight and smaller 15″ tires, acceleration in the Fiat 500 is swift.

Drive Experience and Final Thoughts

The increasing trend to adapt technology has helped improve automotive performance overall. However, the Fiat 500 practically drives like a car from the 90’s. But this could be a good thing in a sense of delivering a raw driving experience with no on board computer supervision to induce your torque path. The result is a an overall fun car to drive – allowing the driver to take full control of the gas and steering wheel.

It’s also evident that Fiat engineers ensured that the 500 would be an easy car to drive. Clutch pedal travel and resistance is very forgiving, and the 5 speed gear lever has a nice and easy throw. Steering is also relaxed, but responsive and easy to control. Suspensions could be improved to offer better responsiveness, but this feature is buffered for the upper Fiat model. On another positive note, you’d figure a 1.4 liter four cylinder engine would generate an obnoxious engine noise, but the Fiat 500 exhaust tone is quite forgiving and somewhat pleasant. Drive it on a free way and see what I mean – the Fiat 500 is pretty rev happy.

So what’s the verdict? Despite its miniature size, the Fiat 500 still offers a nominal sense of practicality with its ability to fit 4 passengers. But 4 passengers is about the limit as the trunk can only fit a few sports bags at max. With that being said, forget about bringing a 3rd companion on a golf trip.

And for the city commuters, the Fiat 500 is an excellent choice offering superb fuel economy at 28/34 mpg on the city and highway respectively. And it compact chassis dimensions makes parking a breeze.

Our Fiat 500c model offers a power-retractable roof. As nice as this feature sounds, we did experience a few occasions of uncomfortable wind shear under certain speed conditions.The Fiat 500c with the power-retractable roof is priced in at $27,374. This isn’t exactly considered a bang for the buck. Rather, we feel that the Fiat 500c is an attempt to drive an image of reputation and exclusivity in the North American continent.

Fortunately, the lower Fiat models without the power-retractable roof can be offered at a more comfortable price tag with the same mechanical blue print. For those that seek higher end performance closed in a retro-artistic shell, the Fiat 500 Abarth model comes with 17″ wheels, turbo charged engine, performance tuned suspensions, beefed up transmission and its proprietary torque transfer control for improved handling performance.